A review by megansendlessreads
Forgetting August by J.L. Berg

5.0

Forgetting August...

I TOTALLY fell in LOVE with this book! I am, for some reason, in love with books where the main character (in this case Everly) is challenged to get over some traumatic event or person in their life which affects not only their outlook of life, but also how they view themselves and their relationships. In this book this definitely holds true and yet there is a big twist to the usual plot.

Forgetting August tells the story of Everly and August and their battle to not only to recover their lives, but to also move forward in their lives as much as they can. Everly does so by pretending her past never happened and avoiding any mention of August. August does the opposite and seeks out answers to the past and why he lost Everly and his memory of who he was.

The author did a really good job of keeping secrets throughout the novel. There were many questions that really drove the book forward only to be answered throughout the novel in small parts so even to the last page I was kept guessing. This genius in writing was what really got me excited by these characters and their situation. I never knew what to expect and this guessing aspect of the book kept my interest throughout and even to the very last page!

I loved the characters within this novel! Everly was the perfect mixture of strength, hope and disparity and I found her completely relatable for any reader. What was really amazing was the fact that Everly had a completely and totally unique voice from August throughout the novel. Sometimes in books with dual POVs, the characters start to sound alike and have similar voices, yet with this novel, I truly heard just Everly and just her personality and emotions. I loved what a strong character she was even at her lowest moments and hardest struggles. She definitely had a lot going on yet she was created to really balance out the other characters and present a whole new outlook on the story.

August was a really interesting character because I had equal parts respect and hate for him. Seeing August through Everly's eyes, August was this huge villain that was completely evil with no hope of redemption. Yet the August I got to know throughout the book was lost and just wanting to discover who he was and why his life was the way it was. I found this August completely redeemable and even endearing. This opposite sides of the spectrum were confusing at times because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to label August as the villain or the forgivable and tragic hero.

I definitely fell in love with this story and the characters. Everything about this book fell perfectly in place to leave me happy with the ending but still wanting MORE! There is a cliffhanger at the end and once I got to it I went completely crazy because these characters in this story is a perfect read. I can't wait for the second book and hope to see even more of Everly and August!